


Gold and Silver, Red and Green

by YukiRiikus_Reading_Room



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Bucky Barnes & Steve Rogers Friendship, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Friendship, Gen, Gryffindor, Gryffindor Bucky, Loss of Limbs, Overcoming prejudice, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Slytherin, Slytherin Steve, War, squad goals
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-24
Updated: 2016-06-06
Packaged: 2018-02-18 15:55:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2354096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YukiRiikus_Reading_Room/pseuds/YukiRiikus_Reading_Room
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky had doubted he would get into Gryffindor, he really had, but he did.  He'd never even considered that wherever he ended up, Steve wouldn't be right beside him.  And then the little shit goes and gets sorted into Slytherin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. What Was That Hat Thinking?!

“What if I’m not in Gryffindor?”

“Everyone in the family has always been in Gryffindor’ that won’t happen.”

“But if I’m NOT…”  He choked on his words, turning to look out across the platform as if he would find the answer amongst the sea of students milling about with their families.

“…Then we’ll love you the same as we always have, and look forward to hearing about how another house operates.”  His mother dropped to her knees before him, her hands cupping his worried 11 year old face with care.  “Look James, no matter what happens, we love you.  You’re our son.  We’ll be proud of you no matter where you end up.”

“Even if it’s Slytherin?”

“Even then.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”  She smiled, offering her son her pink.  Grinning he pinky swore with her, the anxiety draining from his face as she stood back up.  “Now, your father should be here any second with your trunk, then we’ll get you situated on the train.”

“BUCKY!”

“Steve!”  Turning with a smile, Bucky hurried away from his mother and towards his best friend.  Careful not to be too rough with the smaller boy, he pulled Steve into a hug.  “Let’s go find a compartment before they fill up.”

“Okay, just let me grab my trunk.”  Turning to his mother he hugged him goodbye, Bucky pretending he didn’t notice how much worse her cough was getting as she said goodbye to her son and apparated home to rest.  “So did you get a chance to flip through any of the books?  The History of Magic one was pretty interesting from what I’ve read so far.”

“Nah, I was too busy trying to master flying.  Dad let me borrow his old broom so I could try and get a handle on it before we have our first classes.  Don’t want to look like an idiot in front of all the witches, you know?”  Bucky laughed, turning his head expecting to see his best friend blushing like always when they talked about girls, but he didn’t.  Looking around he frowned at the sight of Steve fighting with his trunk.  “Here, let me help you.”

“I don’t need help!”  Steve snapped as Bucky reached for the other handle, his hand falling away instantly as if wounded.  Wincing his friend sighed, closing his eyes.  “I’m… sorry.  I just… I don’t want everyone to think I can’t take care of myself.”

“I understand.  I didn’t mean anything by it, I just don’t want you to have a coughing fit and get sent to the Hospital Wing on our first day and miss all the fun.”  Bucky said softly, catching eyes with his father as he headed towards them with his own trunk.  He nodded, understanding the look on his son’s face – they’d both dealt with Steve trying to do things he couldn’t physically do without help before. 

“Hey boys, why don’t you go find a compartment?  I’ll get your trunks sorted out for you, okay?”  He said, ruffling Steve’s hair fondly.  The smaller boy gave him a look mixed between gratitude and indignation at the thought that he was conning his way into being helpful, but he didn’t turn down the offer all the same.   

“C’mon, let’s find a good spot.”

 

———-

 

_“You will now put on the sorting hat and find out in which house you will spend your time here at Hogwarts with.  Respect them as your family.  They will be there for you for your triumphs and defeats alike.  Now, let us begin.  Arnold, Kingston.”_

“What are you hoping for?”  Bucky whispered to his best friend, grinning cheekily when a pretty redheaded girl a few feet away from them smiled at him.  “I mean, I’d prefer Gryffindor.  For all my Mom says about any house being good, I’m pretty sure it would gut Dad if I didn’t get into the same house he did.  He even wore his old house scarf today at the platform even though Mom told him not to in case I get into Ravenclaw or something.”

“You won’t get Ravenclaw, don’t worry.”  Steve said, patting his friend on the shoulder.  “I mean, I’m not saying you’ll for sure get Gryffindor, just that you’re not clever enough to be a Ravenclaw.”

“Gee, thanks.  That sure makes me feel better.”  Bucky said, rolling his eyes.

“No problem, any time.”

_“Barnes, James.”_

“Go, go go!”  Steve grinned ear to ear as he pushed his friend forward through the throng of students, following close behind him so that as Bucky took a seat on the stool facing the whole Great Hall, the last thing he saw before the hat slipped over his eyes was the reassuring smile of his best friend at the very front of the queue. 

“Hmm… a good strategic mind, no doubt about that.  Spent a lot of time learning old war maneuvers from your Muggle grandfather did you good.  Fiercely loyal to your friends and family as well, but that can lead to recklessness. Good at thinking on your feet though too.  Very brave even when you’re staring down more bullies than you can handle alone, especially if you’re protecting your friend.  Right… better be **GRYFFINDOR**!” 

Smiling Bucky jumped down off the stool to head for the scarlet and gold table, stopping on his way to high five Steve before rushing over to take his seat and be greeted by his new house.  As other new Gryffindors started coming over to join them, he made sure to leave enough space on the bench beside him so that when Steve got sorted, he would have a place to sit with him.  It never occurred to him as his friend took his seat on the stool at the front of the hall that he might not get sorted into the same house.

“Slytherin!”

“Wait… what?” Bucky blinked, locking eyes with Steve as he stood up.  They stared at each other for a minute before he turned and walked towards the table furthest across the hall.  The rest of the feast passed without much incident, Bucky doing his best to talk to people and make some new friends, but at the back of his mind all he could think about was how he wouldn’t be sharing a room in Gryffindor tower after all.

He wasn’t surprised to find an owl with a note attached to his leg on his bedpost with he finally got up to his dorm room that night with his name scratched out in Steve’s familiar handwriting, but he was surprised by what it said: I’m sorry.

 

——

 

“Why did you end up in Slytherin?”

“Well hello to you too Bucky.”  Steve sighed, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck as Bucky pulled him aside on their way to the Great Hall for breakfast.  “Look, do we really have to do this now?”

“Well considering all of the plans we made about what we’d do together at school just went out the window I think you owe me some form of explanation, don’t you?”  Bucky snapped quietly, narrowing his eyes when he friend didn’t even flinch.  “Especially after you go and get sorted into… it’s full of dark wizards, Steve!  What are you doing there?”

“I’m not going to… Jesus Bucky, listen to yourself!”  He snapped back, jerking his arm out of his friends grip with a cough.  “I’m still me, aren’t I?  You know what the hat said?  That I’m clever.  That I’m persistent and go after what I want even when the odds are against me, that I don’t stop until I complete whatever goal I set for myself.  What’s so bad about that?” 

“Nothing… I just… It’s Slytherin!”  He said helplessly.

“Well I don’t know what to tell you.  I’m still a good person, no matter how you feel about my house.  I guess you’ll either have to just get over the fact that we wear different colored scarves or… we can’t be friends anymore.”  Steve said sadly, turning and walking away leaving a stunned Bucky behind in the corridor behind him.

 

——-

 

“You still pissy that your friend got sorted into Slytherin or what?”

“Let it go Barton, I don’t want to talk about it.”  Bucky sighed, never looking up from the book he’d been reviewing for his Charms class.  There was a rustling across the room, and a minute later Clint was beside his bed gently taking the book from his hands and sitting down.  “I don’t really feel like company, but thanks anyways.” 

“Bucky, it’s been nearly a month.  This has got to stop, its hurting both of you.  I’m not the only one who’s noticed either.”  He said sadly, sighing when Bucky ignored him and tried to snatch his book back.  Tossing it back onto his own bed he scowled at the other boy, fixing him with a serious stare.  “Look, you’re not the only one that had friends get sorted into a different house.  My best friend Nat got sorted into Slytherin too.” 

“Really?”  Bucky asked, raising an eyebrow when he nodded.  “How’d you handle it?”

“I’m not going to lie, I said I was alright with it but it did take me a little bit to be fully alright with the idea.  But no, I never had a falling out with her because of it like you and Steve have.”  He said fiddling with the edge of Bucky’s curtains as he spoke. 

“You got used to it though, did you?”

“Yeah, mostly because she threatened to jelly-legs jinx me every time she saw me in the halls until I spoke to her again.  On second thought, I guess it never should have surprised me she ended up where she did.”  He grinned, bumping his shoulder against Bucky’s.  “Look, our friends are still our friends.  Would Steve still be friends with you if it were the other way around?  Because I know Nat would buy a green scarf and wear it with me if that was what it took to make me know I knew she was still in my corner.  Just… something to think about, you know?”

Bucky didn’t say another at first, watching blankly as Clint got up and went back to his own bed.  He caught his book as it was tossed back to him and opened it back up, but he wasn’t really thinking about the charm on the page he was supposed to be learning.

He was thinking about Steve.


	2. Scarves Don't Matter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this ended up being a short one. I couldn't really think of other things I wanted to explore in this so I'm ending it for now unless I think of something interesting for the gang to do.

“Look, it’ll all work itself out. My best friend still likes me even though he’s a Gryffindor, and he’s a moron.” Steve rolled his eyes at Natasha’s words, but still smiled as she ruffled his hair. “Hey, if Clint can figure it out, so can James.”

“Bucky, his name is Bucky. He doesn’t like being called James.”

“See? I bet they all call him James up in that tower, he’s probably dying for someone to call him Bucky. He’ll come crawling home to you any day now I’m sure.” She grinned, hopping up from the couch they’d been sharing in the common room heading for the portrait hole. “Now that that’s handled, let’s go.”

“Where?”

“Clint’s going to try and sneak me into his common room, and you’re coming along.”

 

———

“Why do I get the feeling you’re going to get yourself into a shit-ton of trouble?” Clint turned quickly away from the portrait hole with a guilty look on his face, stowing his wand back into the pocket of his robes looking sheepish. It was nearly midnight, and long past the time everyone was meant to be tucked into their common rooms and dorms for the night. Both of them knew that being caught out of bed by Filch or his dastardly cat wouldn’t be worth whatever fun they might have along the way. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing, really? That’s what you’re going to go with?” Bucky laughed, gesturing at where Clint stood shifting restlessly back and forth. “Seriously, if you aren’t even going to lie convincingly, just tell me the truth already. If it’s fool-hardly, I’ll probably join you. I thought you would have figured that out about me by now.”

“I was just… um… you know, going to break Nat into our common room somehow. I tried to just open the door, but it’s like it KNOWS what I’m trying to do, so it won’t open. Want to help me?” He said, watching nervously while Bucky stood there considering his offer.

“You know we’re only two first years and whatever spell is on the Fat Lady’s portrait is doomed to blow up in our faces if this goes wrong, right? We’ll probably be looking at enough detentions to see us through our 4th year, at least.” Bucky said with a grin, pulling out his wand and joining Clint by the wall. “Whoever his Nat is, she must really be something to risk all this.”

“Believe me, she is.”

“What am I supposed to be, exactly?” Clint and Bucky whipped around, blinking at the girl sitting by the window looking bored as she filed her nails. Grinning she bounded over to her friend, throwing her arms around his neck. “Sorry, I missed part of that conversation as I was clambering in the window. Let’s just do that from now on, it’s a lot less hassle to climb through windows when I’m wearing the proper shoes, these slippers were a nightmare.”

“But you made it in, and that’s what matters. I’ll remember to leave the windows open from not on though when we plan on doing this.” Clint grinned, spinning her around with such a happiness that Bucky was reminded forcibly of spending his summers with Steve and ditching their families to go sneak into muggle movies. As they pulled apart, Clint gestured at Bucky. “This is Bucky. You’ll like him, he’s apparently fool-hardly and mischievous too.” 

“Ah, I’ve heard of you from Steve. Speaking of…” Natasha dug her hand down into her robe pocket pulling out a tiny toy army man handing it to Bucky. He flicked his eyes back and forth between her and the toy with confusion, finally looking over at Clint with a lost expression. 

“Um… thank you, I guess?”

Smirking Natasha pulled out her wand and tapped it, the toy immediately starting to grow in Bucky’s hand. As it started to get to the size of a baby, its color started to shift to be more realistic and its texture turned fleshy. Bucky dropped it on the carpet, stepping back beside Clint to watch anxiously as it continued to grow and morph. Natasha was the only one who didn’t seem fazed, continuing to file her names as the boys watched the army man finally turn into a very flustered looking Steve sprawled on the floor looking embarrassed. 

“What did you go and drop me for?” He snapped at Bucky as he stood up and brushed himself off, his bad mood melting as his best friend immediately pulled him into a tight hug. “It’s good to see you too Buck.”

“I don’t care that you’re in Slytherin, you’re still my best friend. I’m sorry it took me so long to realize that.” Bucky said, relief flooding him as a smile broke out over Steve’s face. “I’m a bit of an idiot, huh?”

“Yeah, but if you weren’t you wouldn’t be you.” Steve smirked, laughing when he punched his shoulder gently.

“Now that you two are done being emotional, let’s play wizard’s chess. I’d like to have some fun before I have to clamber out more windows and head back to our own common room.”

———

“We have got to be the weirdest group of friends Hogwarts has ever seen.”

Bucky rolled his eyes, but he had to agree that Tony had a point. It was almost the end of their first year now, and he had to admit looking around at his group of friends that they did make for an unruly bunch. He’d heard of inter-house relationships before, but he wasn’t sure there’d ever been a group of this scale before. He, Clint and a bold, a blonde hurricane of muscle named Thor, and stern boy nicknamed Rhodey made up the Gryffindor contingent. There were Nat and Steve of course from Slytherin, but Thor’s brother Loki also hailed from that house, though they were never sure if he was their friend or merely hanging around until something ‘better’ came around. Tony was a Ravenclaw Bucky had met during a flying lesson and immediately gotten along with, especially since they were left to their own council to zoom around while everyone else had to learn how to fly for the first time. He’d introduced them to his best friend Bruce, and a group of smart and spunky girls named Pepper, Jane, and Darcy. They had to admit their stock of Hufflepuffs was low, but Phil never seemed to feel out of place and everyone was very clear that he could bring other ‘Puffs along if he wanted, though he never did.

“So, is that a problem?” Phil asked from where he lounged against a tree, not looking up from where he was gazing fondly down at Clint’s head in his lap as he stroked his hair. Neither of them had said it yet, but everyone else was pretty sure they were going to hook up. Tony had started a betting pool for how long it would take them to admit it, the longest bet being that it would take them another two years. Personally, Bucky and Steve had put their money on the end of term. 

“Not a problem, no. But we do get a lot of strange looks.” Tony shrugged, draping an arm around Pepper’s shoulders.

“Are you sure they aren’t just reacting to your face?” Natasha asked blithely, smirking when he chucked his quill at her. 

Glancing around at their new group of friends, Bucky couldn’t believe how lucky he’d gotten. Smiling he tried to go back to his essay for Transfiguration, looking up when he felt eyes on his. Steve was looking at him strangely, a small smile on his face.

“What?”

“Nothing, it’s just… I’m glad you don’t care about different scarves anymore, that’s all.”


	3. Interhouse Ball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long absence! It is so good to be back! If you'd like to know why I was gone, or read the longer apology, head over to one of my other two current running stories to read them. 
> 
> Happy Reading!

“There’s going to be a ball? Seriously what is this, a fairytale?”

“Well, we do go to a school for Magic, Bucky. We practically live in a modern fairytale if you think about it, we’ve even got dragons.” Steve grinned, not looking up from his textbook even when Bucky smacked him gently in the back of the head. “Oh don’t be such a party pooper, I’m sure it’ll be fun.”

“And it’s traditional, you would be seriously missing out on part of Hogwarts school life if you didn’t go.” Phil said, glancing up from his essay to poke Bucky in the side of his face with the feather end of his quill. Bucky scowled, but didn’t say anything. “Now we all just have to get dates.”

“Oh please, don’t even try that crap on us. We all know you’re going to ask Clint.” Tony smirked, laughing when Phil turned bright red and scrambled to right the ink he’d nearly knocked over in his shock. “Geez, you two are hopeless.”

“Oh yeah, and have you decided if you’re asking Pepper or Rhodey yet? You can only bring one. Sucks to be interested in two people now doesn’t it, Tony?” Steve asked in an innocent voice, grinning sideways at Bucky when Tony stuttered a lot but didn’t answer his question.

“Well what about you?” The wounded Ravenclaw countered, ruffling Steve’s hair. “Are you asking a pretty little Slytherin girl or what?” 

Bucky wasn’t shocked so much as he was put out when Tony suggested that his best friend take the Slytherin beauty to the ball. He knew they both needed to find dates or risk looking pathetic, but part of them had hoped they’d go stag together. Or, a small voice in the back of his head piped up before he could silence it, they could just go with each other and be done with it. It’s not like his group of friends would be uncomfortable – clearly, since everyone was silently hoping Clint and Phil would start dating already and get out of the pining stages already, they would be supportive. He reasoned that if his parents would still have loved him if he’d been a Slytherin, they certainly wouldn’t mind if he dated one, and they already loved Steve. 

The only real problem was that Bucky wasn’t sure how Steve felt about him. 

“Who are you thinking of asking Buck?”

“What?” Bucky asked, snapping back to attention when Steve rested a hand on his knee. Blushing he looked away, unable to keep his composure are Tony let out a knowing giggle. “I asked who you were thinking of asking to the ball.”

“Um, you know…” It was right on the tip of his tongue, the words he really wanted to say. But when Bucky turned back to look down into Steve’s big blue eyes, instead of uttering them, he panicked. “I still need to think about it. Don’t want to make a bad decision you know? And I might not go. Tradition or not, I don’t much feel like dancing when exams are just around the corner. Maybe after exams I’ll think about it again.”

But he didn’t. At least, not in the way that the rest of them thought he was.

While he didn’t get any closer to figuring out who to ask to the ball as his partner, he certainly thought of a lot of creative reasons to not ask Steve. As the ball grew closer and more of his friends and classmates paired off, he started to get frantic, especially when Phil and Clint started to join Tony in giving him knowing looks whenever they were around. The teasing was incessant when Steve wasn’t there.

“Just ask him.”

“Leave me alone Tony.”

“Why, because you know he’s right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Don’t you two encourage him.”

“Just tell us who you’re asking then.”

“Yeah, you’re going to ask someone and if it’s not going to be Steve…”

“NATASHA, OKAY?!” Everyone blinked in surprise, including Bucky, at his sudden outburst. Recovering from his shock before the others he composed himself and gave them a winning smile. “I’m thinking of asking Nat, actually.”

“Oh, that’ll be…oh.” Clint said softly, blinking sideways at Phil in surprise. They all looked around at each other at a loss for what to say as Bucky gathered up his things and hurried out of the Great Hall.

* * * * *

“So I hear you’re asking me to the ball now?”

“Hi, Nat.” Bucky sighed, lifting his head from where he’d been lounging out by the lake under a tree trying to figure out the best course of action. He’d known the moment he’d panicked and said her name that as her best friend Clint was going to tell her what he’d said, and all afternoon he’d been trying to find the best way to do damage control before all of his friends started shipping the pair of them. So far, no creative idea had come to him, so he settled on the truth. “I’m not really going to ask you to the ball, I just told them that because they were giving me a hard time and teasing me about not having a date yet.”

“Thank God, it was going to suck telling you no. I like you a lot, but not like that, you know?” She said, tucking her hair behind her ears. “Besides, I already have a date.”

“Oh, who?”

“Don’t laugh.” She warned, sticking a finger in his face. Knowing how quick she was with a hex when needed, Bucky knew better than to laugh and nodded. “I’m going with Bruce, he asked me yesterday after Charms.”

“Banner, really?” Bucky asked, raising an eyebrow when she blushed. “Why would I laugh at that? Bruce is a cool dude.”

“Some of the others like to make fun of him because he’s so smart but kind of awkward. He’s always getting teased by the upperclassmen, especially in Slytherin. I had to hex one of the sixth years last week for stealing his glasses and leaving them up the Astronomy tower.” She sighed, fiddling with the grass.

“Do you really like him Natasha?”

“I think so, yeah.”

“Then that’s all that matters.”

“Maybe you should take your own advice.” She smiled, patting his shoulder before standing up to head back into the castle. “Ask Steve to the ball already before someone else does and you miss your chance.”

 

* * * * *

 

When Steve asked to talk to Bucky in private later that night when they were on their way down to dinner, the Gryffindor almost hoped it was because his friend had been feeling the same way and decided to ask him to be his date instead of the other way around.

He was not, he found quickly, so lucky.

“Someone’s asked me to the ball and I need your advice.” Steve said in a rush as soon as the classroom door had shut behind them.

“Oh, that’s… that’s great, I’m really happy for you.” Bucky said, forcing a grin onto his face. No matter what, he’d steeled himself to be happy for his friend even if it hurt. “Who asked you?”

“Thor’s brother, Loki.” Steve sighed, rubbing a hand absently at the back of his neck.

“Ah, Loki. He’s… attractive, I suppose.” Bucky said awkwardly, looking away when Steve glanced over at him. “What… what did you say?”

“I said I’d get back to him later tonight.” Steve sighed again, his voice small. “I don’t know what I should say.”

“…Do you want to go with him?”

“Well, we are friends, sort of. He’s from my house, and he does help me with my Transfiguration homework when I get stuck. And you’re right, he’s not bad to look at. I can’t think of a reason not to say yes.” Steve said slowly, looking down at the floor. “Besides, it’s not like anyone else has asked me.”

“If you’re hoping someone else will ask you, then I think you already know you have to say no Steve, it wouldn’t be fair to Loki to use him as a back-up plan. Even if he can be kind of a prat.” Bucky relaxed when that earned a laugh out of his best friend. “Who were you hoping would ask you anyways? Maybe they still will, I could go suss it out for you if they’re interested.”

“No, it’s alright.”

“Oh come on, who is it?”

“Let it go, Bucky.”

“Tell me already!”

“IT’S YOU, OKAY?!” Steve said heatedly, his face going bright red as he stared up at his best friend’s shocked face. Tears started to pool at the corners of his eyes, Steve sniffing as he struggled to force them back down. “I wanted you to ask me, but since you’ve decided to ask Natatasha…”

“I was going to ask you.” Bucky said in a rush, swallowing when Steve glanced up at him to see if he was being honest or not. “I panicked when Tony and them kept giving me shit about being too scared to ask you and I blurted that I was going to ask Natasha instead. I was never going to ask her, not really. I was just worried you didn’t feel the same, and didn’t want to be rejected.”  
“We’re complete idiots for not seeing this coming, aren’t we?”

“Probably, yeah.”

“Go to the ball with me?”

“I would be honored.”


	4. Balls Are Dangerous Business

The days leading up to the ball had been complete agony for Steve.

Loki hadn’t taken Steve’s rejection that badly – at first. He was moody and a little withdrawn, but that wasn’t too different from how he usually acted. When he’d heard that Steve was going with Bucky however, that was when things really got turned upside down. It had started innocently enough, to be fair. First certain books had gone missing, only to be returned the next day. Then it was all of his quills. When he woke up to all his robes being gone, well, that was just a pain in the ass. But it wasn’t until he started randomly getting hexed in the halls between classes and while he tried to relax or do his school work in the common room that things started to really go downhill fast.

Natasha was the only one who knew what was going on and though she was quite a scary combatant in her own right, she couldn’t be with Steve all the time to protect him, especially not when Loki literally slept in the bed next to him in their dorm. He’d made her swear not to tell the others, especially Bucky, for two reasons. One, he didn’t want to cause any drama in their friend group, especially with Thor, who both loved and despised his brother more than any of the rest of them. And two, he knew Bucky would do something foolish, like try to duel Loki, and then they’d all be screwed.

“Tonight’s the big night. You excited?” Steve asked Natasha, glancing over his shoulder from where he stood helping her iron out her dress robes at where she sat finishing up both of their Astronomy essays. How they’d yet to be caught doing each other’s essays was a mystery to them, but so far it had worked out well. They’d both gotten quite good at mimicking the other’s handwriting, choosing to help each other with the subjects they were best at so that things could get done in half the time it would take one of them to struggle at it alone.

“I just hope Bruce doesn’t change his mind.” She said with a sigh, shaking her head as she finished and rolled up their essay scrolls. “He’s been so nervous around me lately, I’ve barely seen him. What if he changes his mind and stands me up?”

“First of all, I don’t think Banner could be that stupid. Any guy would be thrilled to go with you to the ball tonight… and you can hex him till next week if you wanted to.” Steve smiled when he earned a laugh from her. “Besides, he has to know that if he stands you up, me and the others will have a few choice spells to try out on him.”

“I appreciate the threats of violence against my date on my behalf, thank you.” She smiled, coming over to join him as he finished hanging up their robes. “Speaking of hexing people… what are you going to do about Loki?”

“What do you mean?” Steve asked, not quite meeting her eyes.

“You know he’s going to try something tonight. He wouldn’t torture you for days just to let it go the night of. I know he hasn’t tried anything yet today, but there’s no promises he won’t.” She said, glancing suspiciously at the door like she expected him to pop out at any second. “Look, at least let me keep your dress robes with mine in the girls’ dorm until it’s time to go so he can’t pull anything. Guys can’t even climb our stairs, they’ll be safe there.”

“I’d really appreciate that, thank you.” He smiled, handing both sets of robes to her. “Do you… never mind.”

“What?”

“Do you think people are going to make fun of my robes? I mean, I know Bucky doesn’t care, but everyone else might. They were all Mom and I could afford.” Steve asked, his ears going pink. Natasha swallowed against the empathy rising in her throat and offered her friend a one-armed hug, careful to keep their robes from getting wrinkled again.

“If they care, then they’re not your friends. Or mine, for that matter.” She smiled, resting her forehead against his. “I know you’re self-conscious about it, but don’t be. Like you said, Bucky doesn’t care. Does anyone else’s opinion really matter tonight?”

“…You’re right. Thanks, Nat.”

“No problem. Now, let me put these away, and then let’s go get some lunch.”

 

*      *      *      *      *

 

“So are you going to try kissing both of them, or just one, or what?”

“I haven’t really made up my mind yet.” Tony laughed flicking a grape at Clint, who dodged it easily, Bucky watching it roll through the grass towards the edge of the lake. It hadn’t come as a shock to anyone when Tony hadn’t been able to make up his mind about taking Rhodey or Pepper, but they had been shocked when both agreed to go with him knowing they weren’t his only date. It had been the topic of conversation all through breakfast, and was now carrying over into lunch. “I guess I’ll just see where the night takes me. Are you planting one on Coulson then, or do you plan on waiting for him to make a move?”

“I honestly hadn’t thought about it.” Clint said, laughing nervously when Tony leered at him. “I guess… I mean, I want to kiss him, so… maybe I’ll make a move?”

“That’s my boy, I’m so proud.” Tony snickered, knocking their shoulders together. “What about you Barnes, you plan on snogging Rogers or what?”

“Not really.” He said, rolling his eyes when they both immediately gave him a doubting look. “Look, you guys don’t know Steve like I do, he’s not like that. If we ever… I just want to make sure he’s ready first, that’s all.”

“I never pictured you being the submissive in that relationship. Then again, Rogers IS the Slytherin of the two.” Tony joked, shutting up when Bucky shot him a death glare. Glancing over his shoulder, Stark smiled. “Speaking of the Slytherins, here come some now.”

Bucky was never so glad to see Steve in his life, as all conversations and teasing about snogging stopped immediately.

“So, how’s life in the dungeons going?” Tony asked, flicking a grape at Nat. She caught it, pinging him in the eye when she tossed it back.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” She smirked, winking suggestively while Steve blushed beside her. “Anyways, let’s talk about something that’s actually interesting. I heard Headmaster Fury got the Weird Sisters AND The Bonejangles for tonight.”

“Should we meet up outside the Great Hall before heading in then, just so we know we can actually all find each other once the ball starts?” Steve asked, pleased to see everyone agreed. “Cool, just be sure to pass the information on to everyone else as you see them today.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

 

*      *      *      *      *

 

“He’s not going to stand you up.”

“He’s smarter than that, I promise.”

“Look if he doesn’t show, I’ll kill him and hide the body, it’ll be fine.”

“He’s kind of scrawny, we can definitely take him out.”

“As much as I appreciate the support, this isn’t actually helping.” Bucky sighed, carefully adjusting the collar of his dress robes. Clint smacked his hand away, shaking his head at his friend’s nervous fiddling. “Natasha isn’t here yet either, they’ll probably show up together. It’ll be fine.”

“Sorry we’re late!” Natasha grinned, hurrying around the corner not with Steve, but with Banner. Everyone shot a covert look at Bucky, Natasha giving them a confused look as she caught up with them. “What’s wrong?”

“We uh… figured Steve would show up when you guys did.” Phil said, Natasha looking over at Bucky in shock.

“He’s not here? He left the common room before me.” She said, everyone glancing around at one another in confusion. “Damn it, I knew I shouldn’t have let him go alone!”

“What are you talking about?” Tony asked, pulling Pepper and Rhodey a little closer into his sides.

“Loki’s been giving him a hard time since he turned him down, but Steve said he’d be fine getting here on his own and I hadn’t seen Loki for hours so I figured he’d be fine.” She sighed, Bruce giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

“My brother might be rash and foolish, but he would never seriously hurt Rogers, I can promise you that.” Thor said, Jane patting his arm as he spoke. “So what do we do now?”

“You guys go ahead and get to the ball, I’ll go look for Steve.” Bucky sighed, pulling out his wand.

"Do you seriously think we care more about a silly ball than helping Steve? Because if so, you’re nuts. We’re coming too.” Darcy said, punching him lightly in the shoulder. Bucky looked around at everyone to find similar looks of determination on all their faces.

“You guys are the best. Now, let’s go find Steve!”

“Um… I don’t think we have to look very hard. He… must have gotten down here before we did.” Pepper said softly, clearing her throat and stepping away from the door to the Great Hall. Glancing inside, Bucky’s heart fell.

In the middle of the dance floor, Steve was sucking face with Loki.


	5. Interpherance

It was pure torture. Bucky felt rooted to the spot, paralyzed into watching Loki and Steve continue to kiss as they swayed out on the dance floor. He felt like he’d lost his arm, like he was completely helpless. 

“Maybe it’s… a misunderstanding?” Clint offered, resting a hand comfortingly on Bucky’s shoulder.

“Or… a really, really bad joke?” Tony tried lamely, shrugging when Pepper shot him a baffled look.

“If it is something my brother has done, some spell or love potion, I will handle it.” Thor said angrily, pushing passed everyone and heading into the Great Hall. Jane and Darcy pushed Bucky forward, everyone else following around them. In the time it took for them to push their way through their classmates into the middle of the room where the ball was already in full swing, Bucky had regained control of his emotions, his stunned silence slowly morphing into fierce anger. The only two thoughts going through his mind were to get his friend far away from the leech sucking his face, and how best to beat up Loki for daring to mess with him in the first place.

Steve saw them before Loki did, pulling away and putting himself between his partner and his advancing group of friends. 

“Get out of the way Rogers, let me deal with my brother.” Thor snapped, staring down at the determined face of his smaller friend.

“He hasn’t done anything wrong!” Steve said angrily, pushing against Thor’s chest trying to get him to move away, not that it made any difference. 

“How can you say that? You were supposed to be here with Bucky, you told Loki no! He’s been giving you hell for days about it!” Natasha snapped, brushing passed Thor and knocking Steve to the ground to get at the boy he was protecting. Pulling him forward by his robes she shoved the tip of her want under his chin. “What did you do to him?! Was it a love potion, a hex? Fix it, now!”

“I didn’t do anything, I swear!” Loki sputtered, pulling away from Natasha’s grip. Ignoring the rest of them he helped Steve to his feet, helping the smaller boy straighten his robes. Natasha made to move forward again, stopping only when Bruce rested a hand on her shoulder to stop her, nodding a head in Bucky’s direction. The other boy looked completely defeated. “Steve came to talk to me before the ball and told me he’d reconsidered.”

“And you expect us to believe you after what Natasha said you’ve been doing to him all week?” Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.

“They were harmless pranks. I didn’t mean anything by them. I was just upset, he said he understood that.” Loki shrugged, brushing Steve’s hair back behind his ear. Bucky’s stomach flipped over at the way his best friend smiled at the gesture. 

“I think there’s more going on here than we thought.” Phil whispered into Clint’s ear, clearing his throat. Clint followed his line of sight, eyes narrowing when they landed on one of the Slytherin seventh year, Thanos, watching and laughing with his friends. “I have an idea. Cover for me for ten minutes, I’ll be right back.”

“You got it.” Clint gave him boyfriend a quick side hug, never looking away from the group scrutinizing them. Everyone continued to argue and pester Loki, the only two people not participating being Steve and Bucky, one of whom was intensely staring at the floor while the other watched him in confusion. 

There was something prickling at the back of Steve’s mind, like a memory he couldn’t quite place. The longer everyone around him shouted and argued, the more he tried to piece together why he felt like he was forgetting something important, that he was doing something wrong. It made his throat clench painfully to look at Bucky’s sadness, but he couldn’t figure out why. He’s been having a great time with Loki when all these people had showed up to ruin it, with their shouting and shoving and anger. But none of that was as bad as watching Bucky standing there unable to look at him.

He just wished he could understand why.

“I’ve got it!” Phil smiled as he hurried back over to them, shoving two goblets of punch into Clint’s hands. Reaching into his robes he pulled out a small vial of potion and distributed it between the two cups. “Now, let’s see if I’m right.”

“And if you aren’t?”

“Shouldn’t hurt them at all… but I’m pretty sure I’m right, so it doesn’t matter anyways.” Phil smirked, taking the cups back from Clint with a wink. Turning he offered them to Steve and Loki. “Ah, young love. We’re very wrong to try and object to that, if you ask me. How about a drink, as a peace offering?”

Steve and Loki took the cups with thanks, everyone else giving Phil a confused look as the two took a drink and immediately pulled away from each other looking horrified. 

“Ew, I was kissing you?!”

“You asked me to the ball!”

“Why would I even do that?!”

“Gross!”

“Um… care to explain?” Clint asked Phil.

“We naturally assumed Loki must have given Steve some sort of love potion to get Steve to agree to come to the ball with him, but no one thought it was weird Loki had asked Steve in the first place when he’s clearly been interested in Darcy since our first Defense Against the Dark Arts class together.” Phil explained, everyone looking between Loki and Darcy in surprise. Both of them were bright red, staring at Phil like they wanted to strangle him. “What, did no one else see that? They’ve been giving each other flirty looks for weeks until this happened.”

“So you figured they both has been given a love potion then?” 

“Yeah, especially when I noticed how closely Thanos and his goons have been watching Steve and Loki all night. They probably thought it would be hilarious.”

“Why I oughta…” Bucky growled, pushing up his sleeves. Steve rested an arm on his shoulder, shaking his head.

“Haven’t we already wasted enough of tonight because of him? Let’s not give him the satisfaction of ruining the ball for us.” Steve smiled, taking Bucky’s hand in his. 

“You’re right.” Bucky smiled, turning to glance at Thanos. He was pleased to see how angry he looked, especially when he pulled Steve into a searing kiss. “Let’s get this party started.”


	6. Toil and Trouble Indeed

"Careful where you're pointing that wand, Stark." 

"What, I'm not going to hex you or anything, I promise.  Not today, anyways."  Tony grinned, Bucky rolling his eyes as Pepper and Rhodey gave their boyfriend and admonishing look.  Tony had been dating both of them since the ball a few month ago, much to everyone's amusement in their group of friends.  It was a constant soap opera with those three it seemed, Nat even going so far as to take bets on how long it would be before one or both of them gave up and left Stark for being an ass, but so far whatever arrangement the three of them had seemed to be working out.  "I'm just trying to finalize the wand movements for a spell I've been working on."

"Trying to create spells in your downtime again?" Bruce smiled softly as he dropped down beside Natasha in the grass, the gentle kiss he placed at her temple making the redhead blush.  "Didn't you learn anything last time when you almost made Coulson choke to death on his own tongue and we had to take him to the Hospital Wing?  Clint hexed you for days after that."

"This one is full proof, I'm sure of it."  Tony said dismissively, though he did glance nervously over to where Clint and his boyfriend stood at the edge of the lake feeling stale crumbs of bread to the ducks gathered around them.

"What's it even supposed to do?"  Bucky asked, raising an eyebrow when Tony wouldn't meet his eyes when he shrugged.  "Tony, what are you playing at?"

"Nothing, it's nothing, just trust me.  You'll know what I've been doing when the time is right."

"Why am I not at all reassured by that?"  Bucky asked Natasha under his breath, smiling when she laughed. 

"Shut up, I'm a genius and you know it."  Smiling Tony leaped to his feet, offer a hand to each of his dates to draw them up to their feet beside him.  "Well I'm off to the library to do a little more research.  See you all at dinner!" 

"It can't be that bad, or he wouldn't have been working on it around us all.  Besides, he means well.  All the spells he works on creating are all helpful, at least in theory.  He just has a little trouble making the fantastic ideas bouncing around that huge brain of his safe enough to test in reality to work on the fine tuning."  Bruce said, leaning his chin on Nat's shoulder to look around her at Bucky.  "He wouldn't do anything deliberately dangerous though."

"What makes you so sure?"  Natasha asked, looking up at her boyfriend when he didn't answer right away. 

"His father died working on a translocation spell."  Bruce said softly, Bucky and Nat staring at him with wide eyes.  They'd noticed how Tony never talked about his parents but none of them had suspected that there was a tragic reason why.  Having found out this information from someone else felt invasive, but Bruce kept talking, Bucky's heart breaking for his friend the more he heard.  "Howard Stark split himself into so many pieces the Ministry couldn't do anything for him when they showed up.  Splinching is one thing, but he'd broken himself down to a molecular state, and there's no coming back from that."

"Poor Tony..."

"Yeah..."

"So don't worry too much.  He knows what he's doing, and how to avoid being too much of a danger to himself and everyone around him while he works."  Bruce said, standing up and offering his hand to Nat.  "Just cut him a little slack, okay?  He might not seem like it, but he can be kind of sensitive.  There's no point to dwell on something we can't stop him from doing anyways.  Besides, don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Shit, you're right, I'm going to be late!"  Jumping up Bucky scooped up his school bag and dashed off towards the Quidditch pitch, arriving just in time to get his broom out of his locker and head out onto the field before the people he was meant to be meeting headed in to meet him.  Jane, Darcy, and Steve smiled at him, each one hoisting one of the school brooms against their shoulders as they walked.  He'd agreed to teach the three of them a few tips and tricks after a truly disastrous riding lesson with Madame Hooch which had ended with the two girls running headlong into each other at least a dozen times and Steve barely being able to get his broom up off the ground for more than a minute at a time.  As the new beater for the Gryffindor Quidditch team and the youngest player accepted onto a house team in about a century, everyone knew his broom skills were considerable, so he'd naturally been the one they'd come to asking for riding lessons. He didn't mind, and if he was being honest, was pretty proud of himself for being good enough at something that his friends wanted him to teach them.

His boyfriend - God, he was never going to get tired of thinking of Steve that way he realized with a happy flutter of butterflies in his stomach - smiled nervously at him, straddling his broom like he was facing a guillotine instead.

"So are you going to teach us to fly or oggle your boyfriend the whole time?"  Darcy asked, smirking when both of them went pink in the face.

"How did you not end up in Slytherin?"  Jane asked, shaking her head.  She shot Steve an apologetic look when he raised an eyebrow at her.  "Sorry, force of habit."

"It's alright, better than being a Ravenclaw.  All brains and no social skills."  Steve smiled innocently, Bucky and Darcy laughing raucously when Jane sputtered indignantly. 

"Alright, let's get down to the lesson before the three of you end up strangling each other."  Bucky smiled, shaking his head at his odd assortment of friends.

After an hour or two, when Steve started to show classic signs of fatigue though they all knew he'd never ask them to stop, Bucky decided they should call it a day and head back to the castle.  He had to admit that they were all getting better, though Darcy still had a tenancy to push off the ground too fast and immediately lose her balance.  At least they'd been able to get into the air and wobble for an extended period of time without hurting each other or themselves.  Bucky wrapped an arm around Steve, who gratefully sagged against him and allowed him to practically drag him back up to the castle for dinner. 

"And how exactly did you wear his out so much Barnes?  Nothing I wouldn't approve of, right?"  Natasha grinned when Bucky deposited a still slightly panting Steve down onto the bench beside her t the Slytherin table.  Steve blushed and knocked weakly into her shoulder.

"Oh behave, get your mind out of the gutter."  Bucky grinned, waving before heading back to his own table. 

 

*   *   *   *   *   *

 

It was a few more weeks before anyone found out what Tony had been working on, the day on the lawn mostly forgotten under the sheer enormity of the workload hoisted upon them to prepare them for their end of year exams.  Steve's mother had died during the winter, making everything seem ten times gloomier and more desperate as the large group of friends helped him grieve.  Between Quidditch practice, essays, and trying to squeeze in alone time with Steve, Bucky hadn't had a spare thought available for worry about what Tony was working on.

When Tony burst into the Gryffindor common room like he owned the place, a slightly stunning look on his face and his still smoking wand held tightly in his hand though, Bucky wished he had.

"You might want to come with me.  Like... now."  Tony said in a strained voice laced with apprehension and awe in equal measures.

"What did you do now Stark?"  Clint asked, not looking up from the textbook on various herbs he had been pouring over for the potions essay they had due at the end of the week.  Tony mumbled something under his breath, Clint finally looking up at him to raise an eyebrow, shoving the end of his quill into his book to hold his place as he set it aside.  "Oh you know he screwed up this time if he isn't bragging."

"Tell us what happened or we're not going anywhere.  Some of us aren't geniuses and need to actually study, Tony."  Bucky sighed, gesturing down at the review he'd been doing for History of Magic. 

"Okay," Tony sighed, taking a deep breath, his next words all coming out in a rush: "Steve might have asked me to create a spell for him and I might have finished it yesterday and just used it on him at his bequest and you really just need to come see this for yourself to believe it, also please don't kill me or punch me in the face for putting a spell on your boyfriend he asked me to I swear."

For a minute Bucky didn't move, Clint's eyes flicking between the two of them nervously.  The next, three boys were running down the hallway towards the spare classroom Tony often used to work on his spells, Bucky's heart stuck in his throat as he struggled to both repress his worry about Steve and the need to split his friend's skull open for daring to put him into a dangerous position like this.  Whether or not Steve had asked for this was beyond the point - if Steve was hurt, it didn't matter that he'd gotten himself into this, someone was getting their face smashed in.

Tony pulled to a stop outside the door, turning to glance nervously at Bucky as he opened it. 

"Hey Buck."

"Holy... Stevie?"

He felt like he couldn't breathe.  Before him wasn't the scrawny, constantly sick spunky boy he'd  in love with, but a taller, well built blonde bombshell nervously pulling at the hem of his now too short robes.  Bucky glanced back at Tony and Clint, both of whom looked just as stunned at he did. 

"Do you like it?  I asked Tony to work on something that would fix me."  Steve asked nervously when no one said anything, his eyes trained on his boyfriend's stunned face.  "James?"

"I just... it's a lot to take in, that's all."  He said softly, turning to look at Tony.  "Is this permanent?"

"As far as I can tell, yes.  I don't think I'd be able to do it again if I tried though, the first attempt nearly ripped my wand apart.  Something about the formula must have been a tad off kilter."  Tony said, gesturing at Steve with his wand, which had finally stopped smoldering.  "I ran some quick scans before I came to get you.  All his preexisting health problems are gone, and you can see the difference to his physique." 

Bucky didn't speak, staring at Tony like he'd suddenly forgotten how to speak English.

"Can you guys give us a minute?"  Steve asked, Tony and Clint backing out of the room.  Steve cautiously moved over to Bucky, who noticed dimly that his boyfriend was now a few inches taller than him for the first time in their lives.  "Bucky, I'm still me in here."

"I know."

"They why are you looking at me like I'm an alien?" Steve asked desperately, taking his boyfriend's hands gently in his own.  "Look, I know it'll take some getting used to, but this is better in the long run.  I was... weak, and a burden to everyone how I was.  I know you never thought that, but I did.  After Ma died... I just didn't want to put you through watching me go the same way."

"Steve..."

"No Buck, we both know I wasn't... I wouldn't have made it like I was, not for a good long healthy life.  Now I can."

Bucky stayed silent for a while, looking his boyfriend over critically.  After a few tense minutes he relaxed, leaning his forehead against Steve's shoulder.

"Next time, tell me if you're going to let Stark experiment on you, okay?"

"I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh. My. God.
> 
> I didn't forget about this story, though I know it probably seems like it. I wish I could sum up all the things that have kept me away from writing all this time, but the list would just go on and on. Here's a brief overview: moved twice, got promoted twice, got engaged, got published by a small press for some poetry which meant copy edits and email chains, had seven theater events to attend because my friends are incredibly talented and I HAD to see them in all their shows, went to a bunch of literary events to meet other authors, dropped everything a few times to see my cousin who joined the Marines when he was in town (and I mean EVERYTHING), and I was in and out of the hospital a few times. During a lot of this, I didn't have internet or a computer, and then when we finally got it set up, we moved again and I just got everything put back together.
> 
> I can't promise this won't happen again - I don't know where my life is headed or what might steal my focus away next. But I promise to do my best, and get this story completed as soon as I can. (And then, maybe, write some more? But that I'll leave for another day).


	7. Something Wicked This Way Came

If you'd told Bucky after the fiasco at the ball that he would ever be sticking up for Loki - love potion or no, he didn't like that he'd been sucking face with his boyfriend - he would have told you that you were insane.  And yet, here he was, in the middle of a duel protecting the little raven haired brat.

"That the best you've got Thanos?"  Bucky panted, barely throwing up his shield before a scarlet bolt of lightning swirled towards his face.  Loki flinched from where he sat crumpled on the ground, nursing at a mildly deep gash on his side that Thanos had given him just as Bucky walked into the emptied classroom looking for a book he'd left behind somewhere earlier in the morning.  "Geez..."

"Is this whelp really worth all this work, Barnes?  You're free to leave now if you want, and I won't think any less of you."  Thanos lowered his wand, gesturing with an empty hand at where Loki lay looking up at him with a panicked, fear-stricken expression on his face. Clearly, he too thought it was ridiculous Bucky would help him after what had happened with Steve if h really thought he was going to just leave him here to probably get killed. 

"See, I COULD do that, but seeing as you're kind of a giant asshole, I'd rather not help you."  Bucky smirked, quickly flicking his wand up before Thanos could get back into his dueling stance, his paralyzed body falling right in front of Loki, who crawled away from him hurriedly clutching at his side.  Finally relaxing a little, Bucky walked over to the injured boy and offered him a hand.  After regarding him critically for a moment, Loki took it and allowed himself to be hauled awkwardly to his feet where he swayed slightly until Bucky put an arm around his waist to support him.  "C'mon, let's get you to the Hospital Wing before you bleed out."

"Why did you help me?"

"You know, you could just say thank you instead of being a jerk about it."  He snapped back, sighing when Loki flinched and tried to pull away from him.  He kept his grip firmly around him, shaking his head.  "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you.  Look... I know we've never really gotten along, but... Steve is kind of fond of you, and I like Thor a lot, so... friends?"

"I mean... I guess that wouldn't be so bad."  Loki said slowly, smiling weakly when Bucky laughed.  "I think you're right though... Hospital Wing."

After that day, Thanos became a major problem for Bucky and his friends.  It seemed like every single time he turned around, Thanos and his goons had tried to jump someone in the halls or accost them in the library.  How he was managing to keep this from their professors, Bucky didn't know, but highly suspected several of them were being paid off by his rich parents.  Though Thanos never got into trouble for his actions, neither did Steve and the others get penalized for fighting back, so at least the playing field was a little bit more even.  They had been worried after Darcy hexed one of his companions temporarily making his insides his outsides that they might have pushed their luck, but no repercussions came.  Still, they were a lot more careful to travel in groups of at least two after that, and to be more careful what spells they used.  None of them wanted their collective luck to run out, especially with someone so annoyingly persistent hounding them.

Still, other than minor hexing and generally being a constant annoyance, after the first initial attack on Loki he stuck to mostly harmless assaults again the group of friends for which they were grateful.  Still, the day that he graduated had been a cause for great joy, especially when Jane managed to charm his robes as he was leaving so that they turned a vivid, horrid pink in front of everyone and their gathered families.

Everyone finally relaxed, knowing the worst was behind them with the exit of their constant troubles.

 

 

*          *          *          *          *  

 

 

It would be another year before they heard of Thanos again.

"Hey guys, you've got to see this!  Someone broke into Gringotts!"  Clint shouted, hurtling towards the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall shaking a wrinkled Daily Prophet in his hands.  Everyone, including their friends from the other houses, hurried over to see what he was talking about, everyone shifting slightly uncomfortably as they looked down at a face they recognized.  "I can't believe this!"

"Why is it always Thanos when there's bad news?"  Natasha sighed, resting her forehead against Phil's shoulder, Bruce patting her shoulder consolingly.  "Gringotts though?  That's pretty hardcore considering he used to run black market hex bags and slip people love potions.  He wasn't ever super criminal though."

"Uh, need I remind you he slit me open in front of Barnes once?  Or does violence not count if its against me?"  Loki asked, clearly miffed and more than a little hurt.  Darcy took his hand and he immediately quieted, leaning into her for support.  They had been unofficially dating on and off for almost two years, but neither one of them seemed in a rush to label it and were both prone to disappearing for a while if it was brought up, both blushing and unable to look at one another. 

"Some people are just awful I guess."  Tony shrugged, turning back to his breakfast.  "I mean, at least we're still in Hogwarts and he's gone now.  Any trouble he's causing won't be anywhere near us anymore."

Even as he said it, Steve got a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach that it wouldn't stay that way for long. 

 

 

*          *          *          *          *

 

They were in their final year of Hogwarts when the war truly broke out.

There had been mutterings for a while that darkness was coiling outside of the walls of the castle, poised and waiting for a time to strike.  Important witches and wizards had begun to go missing erratically in the months following the break in at Gringotts, certain magical artifacts being stolen all over the world, and magical creatures showing up mutilated and killed with various body parts missing started appearing in large numbers clearly having been poached.  Though they all knew the castle was safe, it was an uneasy year for everyone with worries clinging to them always present in the backs of their minds.

Still, there was some peace in being within the castle and knowing that within the sanctity of its walls they at least were protected by strong, centuries old safeguards. 

The first attack on the castle barely made it through the forest before the centaurs took the assailants down.

The second made it to the lake, where the Giant Squid assisted in rounding up the attackers by swooping its large tentacles out of the water and dragging them into the swirling lake water to either flee or drown.

The third attack blew out one of the walls in the western wing, students screaming as they darted through the falling bricks and flying glass trying to escape.  Steve felt the shudder from the classroom below, the Charms professor immediately running out into the hall to see what was the matter.  The longer they waited for him to return, the more anxious the class became until Natasha finally stormed out of the room to go find out for herself what was happening, the others trickling out after her nervously. 

By the time Steve caught up, most of his friends had gathered near the worst of the wreckage.  As he approached, he stopped a few feet away, concern eating at him.  Jane and Pepper were crying, clutching at one another as Thor and Tony tried to console them.  Rhodey and Thor were calling for help, asking nearby students to go get a professor for them.  Clint turned away from whatever had upset them, a stunned look on his face.  Sitting with their backs to the wall, Darcy and Loki held one another like they feared if they let for even a second the other would be ripped away from them forever.  A retching sound filled the air as Bruce turned away from the destruction and promptly vomited in the corner, leaning heavily against the wall as Natasha muttered softly into his ear and rubbed his back, tears sliding down her face. 

When she saw Steve standing there she stood up and hurried towards him, talking quickly and loudly but he wasn't listening to her words.  He pushed past her, shaking of the hands of various friends as they realized he was coming towards whatever it was they didn't want him to see.  As he reached Phil, who looked at him sadly but didn't try to hold him back as the others had, he finally saw what they had all been upset about.

For a moment he stared without really understanding, his thoughts buzzing in a language he no longer understood.  Finally recognition crept in.  He knew that hand, those fingers he had often laced with his own, the palm he had often kissed while they stayed up at night talking vaguely about the future after school was over.  They hadn't made any real plans other than that they wanted to stay together, no matter what else happened.  Now, it all seemed so naive as it came crashing down around him, a hoarse scream tearing from his throat as reality caught up with his momentarily dulled senses.

In the middle of a startlingly large pool of blood lay Bucky's arm.


	8. Absolutely Magical

Bucky woke up in intense pain.

Sure, there's been times before where things had gone wrong in class and spells had gone awry.  He'd been hit with more than a few mostly harmless - with the exception of the few times he'd dueled with Natasha - jinxes and hexes they were practicing, he'd had more than a few burning potions spilled onto his arms and hands in class, and when he and Tony had first tried to figure out how to aparate over summer break under Bruce's watchful eye he'd splinched himself and lost both his feet for a little while until the Ministry could come and sort him out - much to Howard Stark's annoyance, Bucky still wasn't allowed to visit Tony at his parent's place over breaks.  And before Hogwarts, running around with Steve as children, he'd scraped his knees up a bunch and broken more than a few bones beating up on people who tried to hurt Steve.  Bucky wasn't exactly a stranger to pain.

But this?  This was a new level of Hell.

"I see you're finally awake.  Good, I was beginning to think I'd actually killed you before I'd meant to."  He glanced up, setting his jaw when he saw Thanos staring down at him with a wide smirk on his face.  "I wonder if they've moved all the rubble yet and found your body gone, or if they've already just assumed you're dead?  I left them a quite compelling argument for that, I must say.  I only wish I had been there to see their faces when they found the part of you I left behind for them to bury.  Steve in particular is probably crushed.  Hah, no magic can save your arm now Barnes, not when you've been away from it for so long."

Bucky looked away, swallowing hard when he realized why he was in so much pain.  There were horrible bandages haphazardly wrapped around his shoulder where his arm had once been, caked with blood both old and new.  No wonder, he sighed dot himself internally, that he was in so much pain.

"Now that I know you'll survive, it's time to make some improvements..."

 

 

*         *          *          *          *

 

 

"Steve, calm down and THINK THIS THROUGH!"

"You'll get yourself killed!"

"Think about what Bucky would want you to do!"

"You can't just LEAVE!"

"They're doing everything they can to find --"

"No, they're not!"  Steve whipped around, shrugging off the hand that Natasha placed on his shoulder trying to calm him.  "Bucky's been missing for over a month and a half and they still aren't any closer to finding them than they were when they first realized it was just his arm left behind and that he'd been taken!  Everyone keeps telling me to stay calm and wait, but wait for WHAT?!  For them to find his dead body and bring it back for me to bury?  I can't take this.  I can't just sit around and wait for other people to do what I should be out there doing.  I have to go after him guys, I have to at least try to rescue him myself."

Everyone looked at him sadly, clearly unsure what they were supposed to do or say in this situation.  The Ministry had come to the school after the attack to assist with the clean up and repair of the castle under the watch of Headmaster Fury, some of their witches and wizards questioning the students about what they knew and if any of their friends were missing so they knew exactly who to look for.  Steve and the others had swarmed into the interviews en-mass, the poor witch they huddled around sweating nervously trying to listen to them all at once.  Finally, Bruce had calmed them all down enough that he could tell her that Bucky was missing and that he'd been injured in the accident before he was taken.  Steve had looked down at the ground, his fists shaking at his sides, Pepper hugging him from behind trying to comfort him in her own way.  The Ministry witch had taken everything down and promised that she'd owl them personally if they found anything, and that saving the missing students was their top priority aside taking down Thanos and his goons.  So far, they hadn't heard anything, not even a reply to the owls they'd been sending each morning asking for updates.  

Steve turned to Clint, grasping his shoulders tightly.

"What if it was Phil they'd taken?"

"Steve, that's not fair!"  Jane snapped, trying to pull his hands off of their friend.  He brushed her off, staring deeply into Clint's eyes, his face stoic and angry.

"What if it was Phil?  Are you really telling me you'd just sit here in school, keep going to classes and doing homework, trusting other people to bring him back to you in once piece?" Steve asked, his voice desperate.  For a minute they just stared at each other, then Clint shut his eyes, shaking his head.  Steve released him, turning to the others.  "What about you Thor?  Or you Tony?  Would you let this go if it was Pepper or Jane?  Nat, can you honestly tell me if they'd taken Bruce you'd still be preparing for exams in your dormitory?"

"No... I'd be out there raising Hell to get him back."  She sighed, shoving her hands into this pockets.  "Fine, when do we leave?"

"What?"  Steve blinked at her, turning to the others for an explanation but only finding them staring back at him the same way she had.  "I don't understand."

"Well we can't let you go alone, that's a given."  Darcy said, rolling her eyes.  Loki wrapped an arm around her waist staring down at her fondly.  "If you leave, we're coming with you."

"You had good points, Rogers.  Please allow us to follow you into this battle to save James."  Thor said with a grin, pulling his wand out of his robes.  Everyone around him was nodding, smiling with determination.  For a moment Steve was overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude to his friends, unable to speak.  After a taking a few minutes to calm himself a little, he smiled back at them, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Alright, he's what I've been planning..."

 

 

*         *          *          *          *

 

 

It took the friends about a week to come up with a plan of attack that everyone could agree with and gather the supplies they thought they would need.  During that time, there had been several attacks much like the ones on Hogwarts at other highly populated magical places such as Stonehenge, Diagon Alley, the museum of Magical Artifacts in New Zealand, the mythical creatures rescue and wildlife sanctuary in northern Ireland, Hogsmeade, and even the visitor's entrance to the Ministry of Magic.  The professors had been getting more an more anxious, the students becoming harder to calm and keep control over as things outside of the castle got more and more dangerous.  Everything balanced on the edge of a knife.

And then Thanos and started magically bombing residential areas.

Absolute panic broke up through the students with worry about family and friends outside of the school and their tentative safety.  Steve, during all the commotion, received a letter from a neighbor addressed for Bucky.  He knew without opening it that it must mean the Barnes' had been killed, but didn't dare open it and find out for sure.  He kept it tucked inside his robes at all times, ready to give it to Bucky when they got him back. 

"And where do you think you students are going at an hour like this?"

"Shit..."  Natasha cursed under her breath as all eleven as they turned as one to look at Headmaster Fury standing on the steps of the castle behind them, his arms crossed over his chest as he started down at them with an unreadable expression on his face.  "We were just... uh..."

"Oh, I already know where you're going.  I'm just wondering how you all expected to get out of the castle without someone finding out.  Its not like you were exactly being subtle, Rogers.  Anyone could see from a mile away what you were planning."  Fury sighed, walking heavily down the steps towards them.  He pulled a small rucksack out from behind his back and handed it out to them.  "At least don't be morons about it.  You're all legally adults, and at a time like this when the Wizarding world is going all to shit, I can understand that an education isn't exactly the most important thing on your minds.  So, take these, and when you get back send me an owl and I'll let you come back to take your final exams if you like."

"...Thank you." Steve said softly, taking the bag he offered.  They all nodded up at the headmaster before turning and heading acorss the grounds to the gate.  Professor Hill nodded at them and opened it, clearly aware of Headmaster Fury's approval.  As they headed off down the road Steve turned and looked back at the castle briefly.  This, he couldn't help but think, was where he and Bucky had fallen in love, where they'd met the friends they hoped to carry with them for the rest of their lives. This was a home, and leaving it felt terrible and nerve wracking.  He felt more than saw some of the others stop beside him, clearly not sure how to feel at such a heavy juncture.

"Isn't this touching?" 

"Thanos..." Steve rounded on him marginally, his wand already in his hand, several of the others doing the same.  He laughed, shaking his head at them.  "And to think, I brought all of you a present and this is how you act towards me."

"I don't want anything you'd offer."  Loki snapped, his fingers white knuckled and shaking around his wand.  His brother and girlfriend moved to flank him protectively. 

"Are you sure?"  Thanos asked slowly, aparating away.

"...Buck?"  Steve lowered his wand, stepping forward in a daze towards his boyfriend.  It felt like a dream to see him again, but the closer her got, the more he wondered if this was a nightmare.  He looked ragged, his hair much longer and more unkempt than it had been when he'd last seen him.  As he stared at the strange metallic arm jutting out of his shoulder, his stomach lurched remembering the bleeding, still warm limb he'd found in the rubble and held in his hands in disbelief as they searched for his body.  "You're here..."

"Steve, watch out!"  Natasha pulled him out of the way just in time, a red bolt of light zipping through right where Steve had been standing moments before.

"Mission active.  Directive assigned: Kill Steve Rogers."  Bucky said in a clipped tone, his eyes glazed over.  He raised his wand again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a little short, but I had been hoping to write the last chapter today, and some things came up that'll prevent me from having enough time today. The next chapter will be the final battle between Thanos and the Hogwarts students, so stay tuned!


	9. Here, at the End of All Things

A second red light erupted out of the end of Bucky's wand, everyone diving out of the way. 

Steve felt numb.

In the last two months he'd worried over the state he'd find Bucky in once they reunited more than he'd let on.  He'd thought they'd find their friend perhaps shell shocked and riddled with wounds, unable to sleep at night because of nightmares, unable to talk about what had happened to him for a long time or to trust anyone around him.  He'd made plans on setting up a good support system for Bucky so he could heal and they could bring his walls back down one by one at his own pace.  Once his initial reserves of stubborn refusal to think the worst of the situation ran out, he'd started trying to prepare himself for the worst without telling anyone.  He wouldn't admit it, even to himself, but he'd begun mourning Bucky the second he found that arm in the rubble, he just didn't want to admit it.  The longer he was missing, the more and more he had begun to believe they when they found Bucky there would only be a body left to bury and nothing more.  There had never bee a single moment when he'd assumed that Bucky would come back to him whole and untouched with a relieved smile of his face, that it wouldn't be some different level of Hell to get him back knowing what had happened to him because of Thanos.  He hadn't been naive enough to believe there there would be no fall out to all this, that things would immediately go back to normal and be perfect again.  But this madness?  To find his boyfriend so heavily altered and stripped down to the barest semblance of who he'd been, his mind rewritten by Thanos and dark magic into wanting to fight him with such malice in his eyes?

This wasn't something he'd even thought to be prepared for.

"Everyone, shields up or at the ready!  This is an enemy, so don't go soft and get yourselves killed.  No one try playing the hero, specifically you Rogers."  Natasha ordered everyone, the students all raising their wands as one.  A few of the others flanked Steve nervously, clearly worried he was going to do something desperate and emotional.  He didn't have the words to tell them he didn't feel anything anymore, that every single bit of rage and worry he'd been running on had been scared out of him the moment Bucky had fired a spell at him with such hate in his eyes. 

For a minute no one moved, everyone's grips shifting nervously on their wands.

As if they'd planned it Natasha and Clint moved lightning quick and as one trying to pincer him on either side, each firing a stunning spell. Dodging the one, he surprised them all by throwing up his new strange, metallic arm, everyone watching in mixed horror and disgust as the spell bounced harmlessly off of it.  Steve's stomach lurched, his mind racing.  Just what had Thanos done to him?  He didn't have much time to dwell on the matter before Bucky was sprinting towards him again, swinging his wand through the arm like a knife, small blue discs of light exploding out of it and streaming right towards him.  He ducked and tossed up a shield, retreating a few steps.  He could see some of the others shooting him panicked glances, clearly understanding beginning to form in some of their minds: he wasn't going to fight back. While there hadn't been a true moment where he'd decided it, Steve realized as Bucky started towards him again that he wasn't going to be able to fight him.  After a lifetime spent looking after each other, of loving one another, all he could manage was to defend himself and hope against hope for a miracle.

Using the distraction, Loki and Darcy tried an attack from behind, using Bucky's preoccupation with chasing down Steve to their advantage.  Almost as if he heard the spells whizzing towards them he dodged, twisting back around to fling a spell back at them that hit Darcy in the chest and sent her flying backwards up the road.  Loki immediately dropped his dueling stance to run after her and make sure she was alright, his brother and Bruce stepping into his place to continue the attempted assault.  Bucky moved like a well oiled machine, dodging or deflecting everything they sent at him, firing back more and more dangerous spells as the battle wore on.  The others took turned combining and running at him two or three at a time, stepping back when they became overwhelmed.  All Steve could do was try and keep Bucky's attention on him long enough to absorb a few hits and give them time to recuperate and plan on what to do next.  Whenever Bucky got too close, someone would shove Steve behind him, Steve wincing whenever they were flung aside.  He hated the idea that he was helpless again like he'd been when he was smaller, that they were putting themselves between him and danger and being rewarded for their loyalty with pain.  When Phil took a hit to his shoulder than sent him screaming in pain to the ground in pain, the skin of his left shoulder seared as if by dragon fire, Steve couldn't take it anymore.

Ignoring the panicked shouts of his friends, he ran at Bucky and pulled him into his arms.

The reaction was immediate and vicious, just as he'd assumed it would be.  His boyfriend twisted unnatural in his grasp like a wild animal, somehow managing to turn full around and wrap the hand of his metal arm around Steve's throat.  It didn't even occur to him to fight back, his hands scrambling to find purchase against the digits crushing his windpipe and finding none.  Around him everyone shouted and panicked, but with Steve so close to their target, they couldn't risk the chance of missing or splashing any spells in his direction. As the hand around his throat closed a little tighter, he saw Tony and Pepper fling themselves at Bucky's back, trying to knock him off balance, the four of them tumbling to the ground in a heap.  Air burst back into Steve's lungs, the spots that had been starting to pop up at the edges of his vision receding as oxygen flooded his brain.  He tried to sit up, but immediately felt immense pressure on his chest as Bucky clambered on top of him, returning to his attempts to try and strangle him.  A few of the others started forward nervously, but Steve waved them to stop with a hand, his eyes staring up hard into Bucky's.

He looked as scared as Steve felt.

"Buck, it's me, Stevie.  You remember me, right?  I'm your best friend." Steve said in a tight voice, shooting a warning look at Natasha when she tried to start towards them again.  Everyone hung back at a safe distance, most of them clutching their wands at the ready prepared to jump in at any second.  Clint was kneeling on the ground holding Phil in his arms, tears in his eyes as he tried to relieve some of the pain in his shoulder with the few meager healing spells that he knew.  Behind him, Jane and Darcy clutched at one another crying, clearly worried Steve was just going to lay there and let Bucky kill him lime he'd be reprogrammed to do.  He put them all out of his mind as he looked back up at Bucky, trying to find any recognition in his face.  "We grew up together remember?  You used to take care of me when I was sick.  And then, when we came to Hogwarts and I got sorted into a different house than you, we had our first fight."

"...Slytherin.  You're a Syltherin."

"Yes!"  Steve said excitedly, sure he'd broken through, but as he jerked up and tried to hug him, Bucky went feral again, slamming his head back down onto the road.  A few of the others gasped and made to run forward, but Steve waved them off again, ignoring the pained cries of his friends as he turned to look back up at Bucky, who seemed to have calmed again only slightly.  "Do you remember the ball?"

"Ball..."

"You said you were asking Natasha to get everyone to leave you alone, and Loki asked me because of a love potion."  Steve said slowly, swallowing against the lump rising in his throat.  If this didn't work, he was out of plans.  If they could just knock him out and bring him back to the castle maybe something could be done to help him, but there was no guarantees that Headmaster Fury would allow something that might be a danger to any of his students back into the castle, and the very thought of Bucky being taken way from him again - even to go to Saint Mungo's for treatment, or heaven forbid, Azkaban for his aggression against them and anyone else Thanos might have set him on - made his stomach churn.  "In the end..."

"... We went together."  Bucky's voice was confused, as if he was reading a diary that wasn't his and all the revelations were completely new to him.  Still, his grip on Steve loosened a little, which he took to be a good sign. 

"Yeah, we did."  Steve smiled, tears springing up in the corners of his eyes at the memories of how tenderly Bucky had once held him, swirling him around the dance floor without a care in the world.  How had they come to this violence, this manic confusion?

"You... used to be smaller."

"Tony made me a spell to help me.  You were pissed, remember?  We did it without telling you, and when you found out I'd let him try new spells on me without testing them first..."

"I was worried he'd kill you, genius or no."  Bucky said, a hint of emotion returning to his voice.  Steve moved his hand slowly, watching the way that Bucky watched it hesitantly as he came to rest it on his chest just above his heart.  He didn't move, but neither did he try to fling it off or attack him again.

"Bucky, come back to me, come back to us."  Steve sat up slowly under him, the conflicting emotions and confusion on Bucky's face making his heart clench painfully in his chest.  "I don't know what Thanos did to you, but you're stronger than this.  You're the best person I know, and I... I love you.  Please, don't make me mourn you twice."

"Steve..."  Bucky closed his eyes, resting his forehead against Steve's.  For a moment no one spoke, everyone waiting with baited breath.  When Bucky opened his eyes, Steve let out a sob: life had returned to his eyes.  "God, I love you."

"Bucky!"  Steve flung his arms around his neck, sobbing into his shoulder as the others visibly relaxed and started tending to each others wounds in earnest now that the danger was over.

"You idiot, you don't fling yourself at someone trying to kill you, even if its me.  What if I'd hurt killed you?"  Bucky said in an admonishing tone, burying his face into his boyfriend's hair.  His fingers ghosted nervously over the purple and blue bruises already starting to show on Steve's throat, his shoulders starting to tremble.  "I could have killed you all... you should have put me down."

"Don't make me come over there and kick your ass Barnes, I'm not in the mood for anyone's self-pitying bullshit right now."  Tony snapped at him, smacking him in the back of the head had he walked by the pair looking back up towards the castle.  "Now that the rescue is over, however weirdly it went, what do we do now?  Go back to the castle?" 

"I'm going after Thanos."  Bucky said at once, not meeting Steve's eye as he said it.  "What he's done to me... what he tried to make me do to you all... what I know he's planning to do, I can't just go back to school and pretend everything's okay while I know he'd out there plotting the destruction of the entire Wizarding World.  I'd always be worried he'd break back into the castle and steal me back, or worse, get his hands on one of you.  If it got in once, he can do it again, no matter what extra security Headmaster Fury might have set up in the meantime since I've been gone.  Thanos is hellbent on ruling a dead world and he'll do anything to destroy everything." 

"So are we going after Thanos on our own then?"  Clint asked slowly, his tone pinched and concerned.  His arms tightened around Phil's waist, holding his now sleeping boyfriend closer to him as if fearing the very thought of another battle would do him in. 

"No, you take Phil back to the castle to get help.  Anyone else who needs to go the Hospital Wing or doesn't want to fight anymore, go with them.  But I'm going with Bucky."  Steve said, his voice set.  He knew it was a long shot, that they stood next to no chance against magic like Thanos's, but they had to try.  "Tell Headmaster Fury everything, he'll be able to get in touch with the Ministry and request assistance to better fight Thanos.  Hopefully we'll at least be able to hold him off long enough for Aurors to show up and handle him.  The only question is, how do we find him?

"I don't think that's going to be a problem, actually."  Loki said, his voice grave.  He pointed back up at the castle, his eyes shining in fear.  In the distance, fire illuminated the front of the castle, battling shadows passing through the flames as spells went whizzing into the night like runaway fireworks.

Thanos's war had come back to Hogwarts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHH I keep running out of writing time and keep having to add another chapter to this when I keep saying the next one will be the last one. Sorry :'(
> 
> BUT the next chapter with be the final fight, I promise. There's just a lot going on right now, and I'm a little sick right now so sitting up to write isn't working very well right now. Until next time!


End file.
